Epic

“Epic – The First Semester never quite becomes the sweeping romance its title promises. Instead, it settles into something smaller and, at its best, more affecting: a collection of memories, arguments, songs and silences that captures young love as a series of moments that slowly become a life together.”

“Epic – First Semester is a love drama that is passable in parts, with decent performances from Anand Deverakonda and Vaishnavi Chaitanya. However, the film is let down by its writing, repetitive narrative and lack of progression, with the emotional payoff arriving too late to make a significant impact.”

“Epic - First Semester is a bold attempt by director Aditya Hasan, and the film feels natural in several places. However, the story does not move beyond Aditya and Kadali's relationship, while the narration is slowed down by lengthy conversations and repetitive scenes. The excessive dragging is a major hurdle to the film's flow.”

“After a promising first half, the film gets into a monotonous zone and gets tedious to sit through. The overreliance on telling a personal story as it happened without adding enough drama, worked against the film. You may give it a try for some sensible writing and a few good moments in the first half but it definitely is not what the audience expected from Aditya Hasan's debut feature film.”

“The film takes an issue that may be seen only in a limited section of society and presents it as something widely relatable. Rather than feeling like a realistic portrayal of young people living abroad, the film often gives the impression that we are watching the struggles of a deliberately cinematic couple in London. EPIC: First Semester leaves the audience with similar questions.”

“Epic starts with 90s nostalgia but soon settles into mediocrity. A passable first half is followed by a boring second half with no convincing conflict in the live-in relationship leading to an unsatisfying ending.”

“Anand Deverakonda and Vaishnavi Chaitanya have genuine chemistry but the film is undone by a sluggish narrative that circles the same emotional territory for two hours.”

“Overall, EPIC – First Semester is a disappointing mixed bag. A few portions are youthful, entertaining and poetic, but much of the film feels silly, dragged out and unconvincing, especially in the middle. Young audiences may relate to a few moments, but for regular moviegoers, the film offers more frustration than satisfaction.”

“EPIC – First Semester deals with emotional dysregulation in a relationship, but the drama doesn't build it effectively. The film struggles with writing inconsistencies and uneven emotional engagement, and after a promising start, it loses steam.”

“A sluggish screenplay and lacklustre narration drain the energy from what could have been an interesting contemporary relationship drama. Director Aditya's attempts to make a youthful and bold love story but is largely superficial, while the slow narration and poorly defined characters make it a tedious watch.”

“Anand and Vaishnavi fit in their roles. The music is good at times. But performances and music could not rescue Epic which comes with such a thin plot, confused characterization and almost no satisfying emotional payoff.”

“On the whole, Epic ends up much like its lead characters: eager to explore a new world, but not entirely sure how to navigate it. It gets some things right, while others remain a muddle.”